1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bicycle carrying equipment, and more particularly is a receive hitch mounted bike rack that includes an anti-rattle mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Finding a safe and enjoyable place to ride a bicycle can be very challenging for the typical urban bicyclist. Typically, the bike rider must transport himself and his bicycle to a remote location, and then begin his ride. Since bicycles are fairly bulky, bike racks of many kinds have been designed to minimize the space required in the transport vehicles for the bicycles themselves.
One large class of bike racks includes those racks that are mounted on the roof of the rider's vehicle. While this solution minimizes space requirements, there being little other use for that particular space, loading and unloading the bicycles from a roof rack can be a difficult chore. At the very least, the rider is required to lift the bicycle above his head. Even reaching, let alone operating, attachment devices can be difficult at best, and the vehicle's paint job is often in substantial danger of damage.
Another large class of racks are those mounted on the rear bumper. While these racks are much easier to load and unload, the racks have serious weight restrictions due to the weight limitations of the bumper. The bumper is simply not designed to be a weight bearing fixture. Moreover, these racks tend to have a lack of stability, due in part to the desire to reduce the load on the bumper. The problems multiply if the user increases the number of bikes to be carried.
The most stable type of bike rack is a rack mounted on a trailer hitch. Because the trailer hitch is designed to support large weights, a much more substantial rack can be employed. However, added weight in the rack itself can lead to difficulty in handling the rack, such as when the user is installing the rack and removing the rack from the vehicle. In addition, the junction of the two heavy metal components, the trailer hitch and the bicycle rack, creates a significant rattling problem.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bike rack that is securely mounted in a receiver type hitch.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack that has an anti-rattle mechanism.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a rack that is relatively lightweight, and therefore easy to handle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a rack that is modular, so that the carrying capacity can be easily increased.